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Who We Are
PLAN:NET's organizational philosophy is to maintain a small and efficient
roster of experienced professionals and to draw upon this roster on
a project by project basis. This roster is composed of carefully selected
individuals, all of whom have demonstrated ability and field experience.
P:N normally adopts a team approach in its assignments. We believe
the application of more than one mind to the task enhances the quality
of the product.
Please click on any of the following links to learn more about our executive team and core consultants:
All of our consultants can be reached at plannet@plannet.ca.
Plan:Net's Executive Team
Stan Benjamin B.Arch., M.U.D.
Executive Director
Stan has over 35 years of experience working in the field of international
development. Projects have taken him to Asia, Africa, North and South
America, the Middle East, Europe and the former Soviet Union. He speaks
English and some Thai and Indonesian. Stan has special expertise in
policy, program/project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation,
institutional organization as well as community organization and development.
He has worked on more than 40 CIDA sponsored projects from 1970 to
the present. In addition, he has undertaken assignments for other
development organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations,
the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), numerous NGOs
and several faith-based agencies. email
Stan
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Dr. Sheila Robinson M.A. (International Development), Ph.D.
(International Health)
Director
Sheila has more than 20 years experience in international health and
development spanning field work, project planning, management and
evaluation, research, teaching, and professional leadership. She has
worked extensively in Asia, as well as in Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean. Sheila specializes in Participatory Health Development,
Community Development, Institutional Capacity Building and Program
Evaluation. Her current interests include: Human Resource Development
for reproductive/women's health and HIV/AIDs, field-based evaluation
methodologies for "results", and "user friendly" training approaches
for Results Based Management. email
Sheila
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Philip Cox M.E.Des. (Planning)
Director
Phil has been working in the field of international development for
over 15 years. His international experience includes Asia, Central
America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Phil specializes in performance
management as it relates to international and local social development
initiatives. He uses participatory approaches in evaluation, project/program
planning and when he facilitates training workshops on results based
planning, management and reporting. Phil and his colleagues at PLAN:NET
have pioneered a training/coaching approach to assist project managers
grapple with new results-focused funding requirements. To date, he
has delivered more than 40 such trainings to participants of more
than 300 non-profit organizations, university teams, and government
departments/agencies. email Phil
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Louise Griep, M.A. (Project Manager)
Director
Louise is a program management and gender specialist who has
worked in a variety of cultures. She managed an integrated community
health care project in Haiti for three years and a large multisectoral
program in Rwanda for a year. She also conducted a final external
evaluation of a two-year multi-sectoral program in Bosnia. She
gained experience developing a strategic plan using appreciative
inquiry through her work with the Calgary Immigrant Women's
Association, and has used an appreciative approach in the planning
and evaluation of other projects. She is currently working on
a project to build capacity in effective performance management
among Alberta organizations working in the areas of diversity,
multiculturalism, race relations and human rights education.
email Louise
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Noel Keough B.Eng. M.E.Des (Environmental Science)
Director
Noel has 15 years experience working in community development
both locally and internationally. His work has included local
renewable energy assessment and design, sustainability education,
community development, popular theatre, sustainability indicators
design and technology assessment. Through his unique experience
Noel has been successful in building bridges between community
groups and planning and engineering professionals. Internationally,
Noel has worked in Central America, Central and South East Asia,
Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Locally, Noel has worked
with community groups in Alberta, Newfoundland and British Columbia.
Noel is also a co-founder and current coordinator of Sustainable
Calgary Society and teaches in the School of Northern Planning
and Development Studies at the University of Calgary. email
Noel
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Chris Enns, B.A. (International Relations), M.Sc. (Rural Planning and International Development)
Project Manager
Chris rejoins PLAN:NET after having completed his Masters degree in Rural Planning and
Development. He has four years experience in international development, including a CIDA
internship in Bangladesh. Additionally, Chris has lived in South Asia for nine years. His recent
research examined the dynamics of NGO-local government collaboration for rural development in
Bangladesh. Chris has provided survey and content analysis for numerous PLAN:NET evaluations,
including evaluations conducted in Ethiopia, Jordan and a global partnership of over 25
organizations. He has training and experience in qualitative and quantitative research, rural
development planning, negotiation and facilitation, capacity building, gender in development,
agriculture in development, sustainable livelihoods, international relations and results-based
management. email Chris
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Plan:Net's Core Consultants
All of our core consultants can be contacted via email at plannet@plannet.ca.
Steve Brewster
Steve is well-respected team leader with substantial experience
in organizational development, performance management and public
participatory processes. Steve brings more than twenty years
experience in the business and non-profit communities as a team
leader, facilitator, educator, and community development specialist.
He has worked in all levels of the not-for-profit sector - counsellor
and mediator for The Advocacy Centre in Nelson, BC; Executive
Director of the Social, Ecological & Economic Development Society
in Christina Lake, BC; and the Board of Directors for the Kootenay
Food Cooperative (co-chair) and the Granby Wilderness Society
(vice-president). Steve has degrees in law and economics and
uses storytelling as a tool to help build organizational capacity.
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Alice Purdey, BSN, MA (Anthropology)
Alice has over 20 years of experience in cross-cultural and international work.
Her geographical/cultural experience includes South and South-East
Asia, Tibet, former Soviet Union countries, Central and South America,
and First Nations in Canada. Alice specializes in Primary Health Care,
Community Development, Participatory project evaluation with results
focus, and training in Participatory Rapid Appraisal.
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Bruce Smedley M.Eng. P.Eng.
Bruce has 28 years of experience in the industry as a professional
engineer and industrial development consultant. Bruce specializes
in industrial planning and development, international development,
information technology applications, and sustainable development.
His experience is in managing private sector energy, natural
resources, various industrial process developments, and government
institutional projects. His professional experience as well
as time spent with international development agencies, such
as CIDA and the World Bank, is of benefit to clients wishing
to establish functionally appropriate and economically viable
projects in locally sensitive regions. Bruce, as a chemical
process engineer, has experience in many industry sectors including
oil and gas, mining, seafood processing, aircraft, marine transportation,
and pharmaceutical.
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Baljit (Bava) Wadhwa, M. E. S.
Bava carries out performance review, research and facilitation
for sustainable development projects. Her past assignments cover
economic, environment and social development dimensions. Bava
has worked both international and domestically, on urban and
rural issues and with diverse communities, including newcomer
communities and aboriginal populations. She has experience in
the implementation of projects for clients such as local community
serving organizations as well as policy development work for
Government of Canada departments such as the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade (DFAIT).
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Samira Smirat, B.A.
Samira is PLAN:NET 's representative in Jordan. She is an experienced community
development specialist, with 18 years experience in the public and private sectors.
Her primary professional experience has focused on the social and economic empowerment
of communities using participatory development methodologies. For the past five years
she has coordinated the Community Participation Component of the CIDA-funded Jordan Valley
Integrated Waste Management Project. She is also the Community Participation specialist for
the IDRC funded Grey Water Use For Poverty Reduction in Jordan Project.
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Murray Luft, M.A., M.ED.
Murray is a community development and education specialist with 25 years of diverse work
experience in the social development field, both in Canada and abroad. He holds an M.A. in
Sociology and a M.Ed. in Adult Education. During his career, he has planned, managed and
evaluated numerous international development projects and programs in the NGO sector,
primarily in the Latin America region. Murray lived in Bolivia for 11 years and in the
Dominican Republic for two, hence is fluent in Spanish. Now based in Calgary, Murray
occasionally assumes domestic and international assignments with Plan:Net Ltd. Since 2002,
he has conducted RBM training workshops for NGO clients in Peru, Honduras, El Salvador,
Guatemala and Mexico. His special interests include faith-based development,
popular education and participatory planning.
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Tesfu Taddese, BBA, MBA
Tesfu is our representative in Ethiopia. A full-time consultant since 1992, Tesfu has advised UNDP, UNICEF, UNIFEM and other UN agencies
in Ethiopia on planning and evaluating country programmes, institutional strengthening of development executing agencies and the assessment
of various development projects. He is specialised in preparation, monitoring and evaluation of development and emergency projects.
Additionally serving as a consultant-trainer at the National Productivity Centre (now Ethiopian Management Institute) before moving to
the civil service to advise the Ethiopian Government on manpower planning, creating/restructuring fiscal agencies, public enterprises
and other chartered bodies. He has gained valuable experience working in conflict and post-conflict situations with the United Nations
in Liberia, Sierra Leone and, most recently, in East Timor.
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Robert Enns, M.A. (Economics)
Rob has been working in international development for over 25 years. He has lived and worked in
Bangladesh for 12 years and in Egypt for one year, implementing participatory development
programs and directing an international development organization. He has led teams to monitor
and evaluate programs in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Uganda. Rob has also
worked with First Nations and a variety of non-governmental organizations in Canada. He
specializes in participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation, as well as results-based
management and has experience in cost-benefit analysis. Rob has experience in Asia and Africa in
enabling governments and community members to work together for mutually beneficial sustainable
development. He is fluent in English, proficient in Bengali and has some understanding of
German and Hindi.
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Elke Hottentot, M.Sc. (Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies)
Elke has been working in the field of local and international development for over ten years.
Her specialization lies in the area of community rehabilitation and humanitarian mine action.
Within these two areas, she has held a wide variety of roles, including technical advisor,
university lecturer, researcher, evaluator and trainer. She has worked in both rural and urban
settings in countries such as Cambodia, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Hong Kong, as well as the
Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is currently based in Geneva, where she works
with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining as a training coordinator. In
this role, she is responsible for the coordination, development and delivery of training to the mine
action community in mine-affected countries. She is fluent in English and Dutch, has a working
knowledge of French and a basic understanding of German and Khmer.
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Corin Chater, B.A., M.A. (International Development)
Corin has worked in international development for ten years. He has carried out evaluation,
consulting and training assignments for CIDA, the Department of Foreign Affairs (Canada), the
World Bank, as well as for private and NGO sector organizations. Aside from domestic projects,
Corin’s overseas assignments have taken him to Brazil, Russia, East and West Africa and South
Asia. He has also lived in the Caribbean and South Korea, and volunteered in Cote D’Ivoire, Sri
Lanka and Croatia. Corin’s expertise lies in program planning and management, monitoring and
evaluation, community development, organizational assessment, results-based policy development,
and training and facilitation. Currently a doctoral candidate in Strategic Studies at the
University of Calgary, Corin’s research focuses on peace building practices and collaboration
between NGOs and governments in post-conflict reconstruction.
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The Roster
PLAN:NET's extensive and diverse roster of professional associates
allows the firm to create working teams specific to the needs of our
clients (see page titled Sectoral Specialties under Services for more
information on this). P:N consultants have contributed their expertise
to contracts in a wide range of service areas including:
- Program/Project Management
- Results Based Management/Outcome Measurement
- Gender in Development
- Urban and Rural Planning
- Community Development
- Participatory Rural/Rapid Assessment
- Social Impact Assessment
- Socio-Economic Policy Analysis
- Organizational Capacity Building
- Environmental Management
- Community Health
- Training and Education
Associate Offices
P:N has been active in
Jordan since 1999, and in 2003 opened an affiliate office in Amman.
This office specializes in providing community participation and
socio-economic services. From 1999 to 2004 P:N was responsible for
implementing the community participation component of the Jordan Valley
Integrated Waste Management Project, funded by CIDA. The office is
currently involved in the community component of the IDRC-funded
Greywater Treatment and Use for Poverty Reduction in Jordan.
For more information on our office in Jordan, contact Samira Smirat
or Molly Buckley.
P:N also maintains strategic alliances with selected consulting firms
whose areas of specialization or geographic coverage are complementary
to our own. In addition to the head office in Calgary, P:N has associate
offices in Vancouver and Ottawa. We also link with firms specialized in natural resource management, civil engineering and
transport planning.
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